Dentifrice



fiatentecl Aug. 22, 1 950 DENTIFRICE r Andrew August Klippert, Hollis, N. Y., assignor to Colgate-Palmclive-Peet Company,

Jersey City, N. J a corporation of Delaware N Drawing. Application October 6, 1948, Serial No. 53,156

9 Clairns.

l This invention relates to improvements in den tifrice compositions, and more particularly to improved flavoring material for powder dentifrices.

In flavoring dentifrices, oil of Wintergreen,

which is essentially methyl salicylate, has been frequently used. Instead of employing the natural oil itself, synthetic methyl salicylate has been utilized, but both the natural and the synthetic product are quite volatile. Accordingly, it

. has been necessary heretofore to package tooth 'powders which contain such volatile flavoring material in metal containers, since ordinary cardboard or paper receptacles cannot be satisfactorily employed because they are relatively porous and permit the volatile flavoring substance to escape too rapidly. Even with the use of metal containers there is a certain gradual loss of the volatile flavoring material through the top closure and the side seams, which are generally not made vapor tight. 'This loss may become sufficient, where the package is stored over a period of years before use, to impair the quality of the product. This, of course, is undesirable.

It has now been discovered that the wintergreen-type flavor may be prepared and used in a dry solid form, and which is not volatile and evanescent, the alkali metal derivative, i. e. sodium methyl salicylate is particularly effective for this purpose. and hence is not dissipated through the walls of a container, but remains in the dentifrice until used. During use, the mild acids of the saliva dissolve and convert the sodium methyl salicylate to free methyl salicylate which imparts thereupon the typical fresh pleasant Wintergreen flavor at the point of use. Suitable mixtures of the nonvolatile flavoring substance and volatile flavoring substances may be used to give the tooth powder a pleasing scent.

Sodium methyl salicylate may be prepared in any suitable manner. For example, the methyl salicylate salt may be made by reacting methyl salicylate with sodium hydroxide in alcohol solution. The desired sodium derivative of methyl salicylate formedby the reaction maybe recovered from the solution by crystallization. Where the potassium salt is desired, potassium hydroxide will be used in place of sodium hydroxide, as will be readily understood.

The following specific examples are given to show how the invention may be utilized, the examples being merely illustrative and not limitative of the invention.

This material is non-volatile Example I A tooth powder is made up containing the following ingredients:

Parts by Wt.

Di calcium phosphate 92.0 saccharine 0.1 Sodium glyceryl monolaurate sulfate 5.0 Sodium methyl salicylate 3.0

The ingredients, in finely divided form, are mixed together in a suitable mixing apparatus and are then packaged in ordinary cardboard containers.

Upon aging a portion of the dentifrice powder of Example I at approximately 105 F. for two weeks in an ordinary cardboard container, the tooth powder. at the end of the test period still possessed 'a pleasant Wintergreen flavor when used in the customary Way. Moreover, the tooth powder remained in the same dry, powdery state as when originally made. A similar dentifrice powder, however, in which 2 parts of methyl salicylate replaced 3 parts of sodium methyl salicylate, upon testing after a like aging period, was found to possess practically no flavoring, and was quite unpalatable.

As modifications of the tooth powder composition of Example I, the following is given:

Example II A soap base tooth powder is made up by thorougly mixing the following ingredients:

The ingredients in finely powdered form were thoroughly mixed to provide a powder-like soapbase dentifrice.

The ingredients were finely divided and thoroughly admixed to provide a finished tooth powder.

Example IV Parts by Wt. Di calcium phosphate 88.0 Saccharine 0.1 Sodium glyceryl monolaurate sulfate 5.0 Sodium methyl salicylate 2.0

Magnesium carbonate Methyl salicylate 1.0

The ingredients of (B) are thoroughly-mixed and added to ingredients (A), and the hole suitably mixed. The methyl salicylate is incorporated to give the tooth powder a pleasing odor of Wintergreen during the normal period of storage. When the dentifrice is used the flavor fortified through the dissolving and conversion of This is .111 adsorbent silicate of the dehydrated activated gel type, a similar product being sold under the i ew e s q mi fidt d TIhe ingredients of 1B) are thoroughly mixed and added to ingredients .(A), and the whole Suitably mixed. The precipitated magnesium silicate functions to .adsorb and release slowly :the methyl salicylate so that the .dentrifice pow- ;der has a pleasing aroma of Wintergreen fora :much longer timethan where no adsorbent pow- ,der, .is used. Other suitable adsorbent .or absorbent substances maybe used in place of or together with the precipitated magnesium silicate. For exampl'acolloidalclay, activated carbon or the like may be used for-this purpose.

.Qther .volatile flavoring substances also may be used. with the sodium methyl salicylate if :desired, such as oil of peppermint, thyme or the like, and which give the dentifrice a pleasing spent over the-normal period Of storage and use.

Various wetting agents, such as alkyl aryl sulpl'ronates or the like, may be used in place of the sulfated fatty alcohol or monoglyceride type compounds. Also other fillers and/or cleansing and polishing agents "commonly used ingthe preparation of tooth powders may be incorporatedor substituted in Whfile "or in-part for equivalent materials mentioned in'the examples. q For instance, in place of 'di-calcium carbonate there may bensed-tricalcium.ortho phosphate. Also precipitated calcium carbonate and/or magnesium carbonate may be used as a polishing agent, either alone or in combination. In addition, an acid buffer, such as boric acid may be incorporated, if desired to aid in liberating the methyl salicylate during use of the dentrifice. It will be also understood that other flavoring materials may be used with sodium methyl salicylate to modify its flavor. Coloring materials and the like may also be added in varying amounts to produce a tooth powder having the desired physical characteristics.

While the use of sodium methyl salicylate is preferred, it is to be understood that other water soluble methyl salicylate compounds may be used which are non-toxic and release methyl salicylate during the use of the powder, and such modifications of the dentifrice powder compositions are considered to be within the scope of the present invention.

What is claimed and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is:

1. A dentifrice tooth powder containing as a flavor imparting ingredient, an alkali metal salt of methyl salicylate.

2,.A' dentifrice tooth pbWderpontaining as a flavor imparting ingredient, a sodium salt of methyl salicylate.

3. A dentifrice tooth powder comprising a polishing agent, vSodium methyl salicylate and methyl salicylate.

' 51:. A dentifrice tooth powder comprising as a polishing agent a phosphate salt, and sodium methyl salicylate as a flavoring ingredient.

. A d nti e too h. PQWd pmpr s V polis in a n a d rg nt eqdi m methyl salic a and a ol ti lev fi e m r l- .s. A d ri e to t eewd r compri in e fi rc -imp t n in re ients t em t en of a s i nonolat e substan e s mp' i a alkali m t se pf. ei. v. s c l e wh h eom os s i Wvi r medi ne a a m ie ie ep l uid wha e Flavoring ie p 7. A dentifr e tooth powder as ,claimed in the preceding ,cl m wherein there is included an e he l eni we e: e ai 'ifi w re flavoring ub tanc to. lengthen the time that said liq- .416 new fi ei ee se am em s n entree 8- ,A sien j iri e th iwwd r cqmprismg an I et ri teet ew w ta n 1 en 5 for cleansing and polishing teeth,a .e e i a or 'se l ieg hf m fi n an a a m ta sa t .q m th l sali ate ANDR W AU UST K IPPEB a 1:53pm: us ng-{Es CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS n 7 Name Date 2,216,821 Long Oct. 8, 1940 'FQBBIQN PATENTS Numb r .xfi nnztrv Da 472,812. Great rita n S t. :23. 19.3 

1. A DENTIFRICE TOOTH POWDER CONTINING AS A FLAVOR IMPARTING INGREDIENT, AN ALKALI METAL SALT OF METHYL SALICYLATE. 